Duped online - Derry brides warned over 'fake dresses'
Four Derry brides have been left broken hearted after they were duped into buying cheap, fake wedding dresses on an Internet auction site.
Ciara Duddy, who owns Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage in Greysteel says she's been contacted by four women who ordered their wedding gowns from online sites and received substandard, poor quality dresses. She's now warning other brides not to fall into the same trap.
Ciara revealed a number of reputable bridal shops are very concerned about women who've been duped after buying wedding dresses online.
Their story - and a shoddy dress that was given to Ciara by one local bride will featured on the BBC Watchdog programme early next year.
"The quality of these dresses was so bad none of the brides could wear them on their wedding day," Ciara revealed.
"These are copy dresses," she explained. "Brides go online and see the dress hundreds of pounds cheaper than it is in the shop and buy it. They think they are getting the same dress they have tried on a bridal shop but end up very disappointed with what they have received.
"The dresses are poorly made, with low quality material with no structure. I've had several brides down in the shop in tears."
Ciara explained that once the dress is bought it's difficult to do anything to complain about the workmanship.
"Normally by the time the dress comes, it's too late to leave feedback and you can't file a dispute. One of the brides told me she tried to contact the company to complain about her dress, but was ignored. The dresses are simply a load of rubbish - they are not designer gowns, you can't compare them with the dresses you buy from a shop."
Ciara is advising brides that if a deal looks too good to be true on an online wedding dress - then it probably is.
"Some have been promised they are getting genuine designer dresses and have even been offered so called 'authenticity certificates' to try to convince brides to buy from their company," she said. "These gowns are not the designer's own dresses, and whilst they may resemble the designer dress photos, they lack the structure and superior fit which is supposed to flatter the bride's figure.
"We have also come across orders in the wrong colours and wrong sizes, or dresses damaged where the bride had absolutely nowhere to go and have the problem sorted.
"We would please urge brides who are thinking of this to think again. "
Ciara is one of the exhibitors at this year's 'Derry Journal' Wedding Showcase which will be held at the Millennium Forum on January 17. During the event Ciara will exhibit genuine designer wedding dresses. She will also display one of the 'fake' wedding dress to show brides the difference in quality.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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